In view of the rising insecurity and other challenges, International Organization for Peace building and Social Justice (PSJ), a non-governmental organization is training youth on peace building and promotion of social justice.
PSJ Executive Director, Mr Ishaya Durkwa said that the training was imperative to reorientate youths on the need peaceful coexistence.
Durkwa who spoke during PSJ Youth Ambassadors’ Summit on Thursday in Jos, said that youth themselves were at the receiving end of the lack of justice or lack of peace.
The executive director stated that by the same token, the youth were the ones that have been used to perpetuate violent conflicts and social injustices.
“We believe that there has to be a way of getting from amongst the youth, those who would know the issues and begin to reach out to their peers, in order to tackle the issues that are killing us.
“There is no way we can change the narrative without getting youth on board. You all will agree with me that if there is social unrest, whether it’s religious or political, it is youth that are used to perpetrate it.
“We need to conscientise them to understand that their energies could be redirected for a positive cause which is to promote peace, and to work for birth in social justice in our nation.
“And that way, we will be able to have a peaceful and prosperous nation. And that’s the reason why we gathered their representatives from all the states of the federation,” he said.
Durkwa said that may things were not going the way they should in the country and there was urgent need for redirection.
He, however, expressed optimism that with proper training and reorientation of the youth, they would refocus and champion new courses for the nation’s development.
According to him, through the efforts of the NGO, many Nigerians particularly youths were beginning to know what need to do for peace reign supreme in the country.
Mr Emmanuel Ibeshi of Haggai Institute Hawaii, USA, a resource person, said that summit was what
Nigeria needs now especially coming out of the presidential elections, and court rulings that I’ve come up with all kinds of somersault judgments.
Ibeshi, a former member of House of Representatives said that Nigerian youth have been left midstream, not knowing exactly what to do.
“So, this summit and indeed the conference is trying to see how we can re-inculcate the youth the values in because it seems our values and ethics have flown out of Nigeria.
“This youth programme is aimed at looking at the integrity portion of the youth, the contributory factors of youth and the energy they have can contribute in political formation and political leadership recruitment process, from the grassroots, up to the national level,’’ he stated.
Some of the participants who spoke at the sidelines of the summit, said that they learnt new values that would enhance their well-being as individuals and Nigerians. (NAN)